I ignore things that I don’t want to deal with in life. Friends, family, love interests, work, etc. I tell other ppl they should deal with their problems, but then I sometimes ignore my own. Travel is an extension of my tendency to ignore things.  At one point you think that traveling will give you some sort of cure to all life’s problems. I once read a story about a climber who was going through a divorce and financial troubles, but decided to free climb an impossible cliff face.  He knew that it wasn’t going to solve any of his problems or magically make everything disappear when he returned back to the Earth.  In fact, it could have easily killed him had he not been so determined he could do it.  Why do something if it doesn’t solve your problems?  I think everyone has done some soul searching to find the answer to this question in their lives.  However, we live in a culture that embraces quick fixes to everything.  It’s this sort of thinking that makes me forget that other ppl struggle in the same ways I do.  I often times refer to large groups of people or countries, as having certain qualities or behaviors. In reality, I have no idea what their way of life is like. It’s just an excuse for me not to understand them.  When I look at someone as an individual, I am forced to at least examine who they are and maybe how they got to be that way. If I can’t look into someone else’s life, culture and values for just a moment, then I am truly blind. I will never have the ability to understand myself and they will not have the chance to understand me. This is partly what brought me to Quito, Ecuador.  Not to solve my problems, but to discover them. 

Here is my story…

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 Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I’ll be right beside you dear

-Snow Patrol